India and its flavors

When a person is preparing or imagining a trip to India, the same question always arises: how do I deal with the spice?

Some doubt if they can bear it, others take it as an adventure, and others… don’t even try.

Indian food for us has always been a motivation to visit more and more places, an adventure of flavors in which – once we raise the threshold of support for spiciness -, vegetarians find a paradise of possibilities and unimaginable dishes.

FOOD IN NORTH INDIA

In North India, dishes are mostly

India and its flavors – Photo by @destinoriente / www.destinoriente.com

In this area of India, the spiciness is likely to be stronger. The main advice we can give you in this case is: Don’t drink water!

When we eat for the first time with our travelers in a restaurant, we see that the first action when consuming spicy food is to drink water. This only makes things worse, as it spreads the spiciness down your throat.

Generally, dishes in North India are served with different types of bread to neutralize the flavor of the spices. In addition, a small “bowl” with neutral yogurt is always served, eaten after finishing the meal. This neutralizes the spiciness and there is no burning sensation in the stomach.

Mughal tradition food is based on different curries and breads with occasional absence of rice. Photo by @destinoriente / www.destinoriente.com

In North India, the best-known dishes that we recommend trying are: Palak Panner (spinach curry with fresh cheese), Dal Makhani (black lentil curry), Butter Panner Masala (a classic cashew and fresh cheese curry) ; Any of them accompanied by a Tandoori Roti are an excellent option.

Also, in all the restaurants they always serve the famous “Thali”. “Thali” in Hindi means “dish”. That is, when you order a “Thali” in a restaurant, you will receive a plate with rice, bread and several bowls with different curries.

The “Thali” summarizes Indian food in the same dish and varies its content from restaurant to restaurant, but always maintains the quality of offering the diner the possibility of tasting the 5 basic flavors of Indian food: spicy, sweet, sour, salty. , bitter and astringent.

The Thali, a typical dish that brings together all the flavors of North India. Photo by @destinoriente / www.destinoriente.com

TAVING SOUTH INDIA

In South India the food is… delicious! Traveling throughout the country you can find restaurants specializing in this cuisine, and they are always full.

The dishes are generally served on banana leaves and rice is the base of all preparations.

In the morning, there are three dishes that you must try: Idilis (fermented and steamed rice omelettes); Upma (semolina cooked with vegetables); the Dosa (a pancake made of rice paste and lentils, which is delicious).

At noon, restaurants simply serve “meals.” It consists of the following: you sit down, they put a banana leaf in front of you (as if it were a plate), and then they begin to parade around with a bunch of sauces and vegetable curries, which you must mix with the rice (and your hand). , until you feel completely satisfied.

And when night falls, the meal continues with the traditional “parottas”, which are flatbreads cooked on the grill, spread with butter and accompanied by a light curry of seasonal vegetables.

In southern India, food has a Dravidian origin (the original inhabitants of the area), based on Ayurveda and the large amount of local spices. Photo by @destinoriente / www.destinoriente

IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT GOING TO INDIA…

Our recommendation is that a few months before you go to a specialized store and get condiments (including cumin and chili) so that you can add them to your daily preparations and thus get your palate used to them.

Once in India, go ahead and try the local food without fear! Gastronomy is a great way to get to know the local culture, and going to India and wasting this opportunity can be a great shame.

If you are with someone who knows the country, ask them to take you where the locals eat. If you are alone, simply choose to eat in those places that are always busy. Once there, order whatever most people are eating at the time. This way you will be experiencing the local culture from the inside and getting to know through food what everyday life is like in each city or region.